Early Mornings
by jf222
Summary: A funny bet between Castle and Beckett.  One-shot, established Caskett, very fluffy


__I wanted to think of a funny bet between Castle and Beckett, and this is what I came up with.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

_Monday_

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

Richard Castle could not figure out where that incessant beeping noise was coming from. He opened one eye and saw that it was still completely dark. _Why on earth would I set my alarm for the middle of the night?_ he thought. _Did I set it for 2:00AM instead of 2:00PM? Wait, that doesn't make sense… Why would I set an alarm for the middle of the afternoon?_

Sometime during his rambling thoughts, the beeping stopped. He heard someone get up and start rummaging around in a drawer, looking for clothes. He opened both eyes this time and saw his girlfriend, Kate Beckett, getting dressed.

"Come on, Castle - get up!" she said. "We're leaving in 10 minutes."

He looked over at his nightstand and saw the clock - 6:00AM.

"Uhhhhh…" he murmured. It was too early to form sentences. "I don't wanna… Too tired…"

"Seriously?" she said. "This was _your_ idea! Get up!"

He rolled over onto his stomach and buried his head in the pillows. Kate could hear him saying something but it was muffled. She assumed it was more of the same. Finally he sat up, rubbed his eyes and looked at her.

"I changed my mind, this is insane," he said. "You go, I'll be there at 9... :30... 10:00 at the latest. I'll bring coffee."

She folded her arms across her chest and gave him an annoyed look.

"And breakfast?" he added.

She gave in. "Ugh, fine, you big baby," she said. "See you later." She kissed him on the cheek and left. As soon as she was gone, Rick flopped back down and immediately fell asleep.

_Tuesday_

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

_Are you kidding me right now?_ Castle thought. He heard Kate start moving and before she even said anything, he spoke.

"Don't even bother trying to convince or threaten me. I'm not getting out of this bed."

"You are completely ridiculous. You know you have zero chance of winning this bet, right?" she asked.

"Don't care. Sleeping now," he mumbled as he fell back asleep.

_Wednesday_

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

_Ugh, not again_, Castle thought. The beeping stopped and he heard Kate get out of bed.

"Richard Castle," she said in a threatening voice. "If you aren't up in the next 30 seconds, I am pulling the covers off the bed and dragging you out by your feet."

"Fine!" he whined. "You don't have to be so mean about it! I'm up, I swear." He didn't move a muscle.

"Rick, I mean it!" Kate started pulling the blankets back and when they were about halfway down the bed, Rick finally started moving. He swung his feet over the side of the bed and stood up.

"Good God, woman," he said. "I hope you show a little more mercy once we get there."

"Not a chance, Writer Monkey," she said with a smile. "We're out the door in 5 minutes."

Twenty minutes later, they walked out of the locker rooms and into the precinct's gym.

"Are you sure about this?" Beckett asked. "You know I can kick your ass, right?"

'Yes, positive," Castle said. "I don't want you to hold back at all."

Forty-five minutes later, Beckett had pinned him 27 times. Castle hadn't even come close to pinning her once. They both laid on the mat, exhausted.

"Having fun yet?" Kate panted.

"Oh Detective, you have no idea," he said, grinning. "Wrestling with you while we get all hot and sweaty? I couldn't think of a better reason to get out of bed at the crack of dawn."

Kate laughed and sat up, stretching out her tight muscles. "We aren't wrestling, we're sparring. There's a difference."

"I am totally going to win this bet, by the way," he said. "Someday anyway."

"Castle, you will never pin me. Not unless I let you win," she said.

"You have no faith!" he cried. "Seriously though, it's a good thing there's no time restriction… this might take awhile. I will do it though, just once. And then you will pay… mua-ha-ha…" He still laid completely still, his arms and legs spread out on the mat. "Pretend I'm making a menacing face and rubbing my hands together - I can't move my arms."

"Well don't worry," Kate replied. "I won't ever go easy on you. You're going to have to earn this!"

_Thursday_

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

Kate blindly groped for the alarm and shut it off. She got ready to yell at Rick to wake up but when she reached over to his side of the bed, she found it empty. As she sat up and looked around, confused, the door opened and he walked in.

"Hey sleepyhead," he said, already dressed. "What are you waiting for? Let's go."

"Wha… Huh? What's going on? What's wrong with you?" Kate stammered.

"I'm feeling lucky, I think today's the day. Hurry up, the gym awaits!" he said, leaving the room.

An hour later, Rick was no closer to pinning Kate than he had been the day before. He was laid out on the mat, again, while Kate stood over him grinning.

"Well that didn't go as well as I hoped…" he said.

"Maybe tomorrow, Castle," she laughed. "Time to hit the showers."

_Friday (3 weeks later)_

"HA!" Castle yelled. "I DID IT!" He had finally pinned Beckett. His eyes got wide as he asked frantically, "You swear you didn't let me win, right? I mean, I really pinned you, for real?"

"I swear I did not let you win," Kate promised. "Cross my heart, you really did it." She smiled, happy for him that he finally reached his goal. She had to admit (though never to him), he had improved immensely over the past few weeks. He was faster and much more responsive than when they first started. She didn't mind the eye candy either - he had gained a lot more muscle definition along the way too. She had to laugh as he did a victory lap around the gym, high-fiving the small group of officers getting in their morning workout.

"You know what this means, don't you?" he asked as he sat down next to her.

"Yes, Castle, I remember the terms of the bet," she replied. "You've reminded me every single day for the past 3 weeks."

"Good, just making sure." He grinned, beyond excited for the upcoming weekend.

_Saturday_

Kate pulled the car into the driveway of her dad's cabin. After she turned off the engine, she sat for a moment. "I can't believe this is happening," she said, trying to hide the smile growing on her face. "I hope you know I'm going to be mortified, right?"

"Yes, that's what makes this so awesome," Rick said.

"If you ever tell anyone about this, I will shoot you." She opened the door and got out, walking toward the front door. Castle followed close behind, beaming the entire way.

"Sit on the couch, I'll be right back," Kate said as she walked upstairs.

He did as he was told and tried to wait patiently. A few minutes later, she walked back in the room carrying a big box.

"Here," she said, setting it down on the coffee table in front of him. "Go nuts."

"Whoa whoa whoa," he said, grabbing her hand as she started walking away. "Sit down. You know the terms - you have to do this with me, telling me all the stories." He pulled her down so she was sitting right next to him. He picked up the first album from the box.

"Ah perfect - middle school. Now tell me about this first picture… is that a perm?"


End file.
